Large crowds regularly occur at sports venues, such as stadiums or coliseums. It is common at sport events for spectators to demonstrate team support, participate in crowd cheers, or otherwise exhibit enthusiastic behavior. In many cases, event moderators facilitate audience participation, especially at breaks during the event, by encouraging spectators to participate in some sort of crowd-oriented activity. Audience members are typically eager to participate, and can exhibit a cooperative collective crowd behavior that often occurs at such venues.
For example, one such crowd behavior commonly performed is a “wave” where audience members in a section standup or raise their arms as a group, section by section, so that a wave sweeps across the spectator stands. This activity requires synchronization of spectator activity. Generally, the better the synchronization the activity is with respect to time, the more impressive is the result.
The net effect of this group activity cannot be easily appreciated by any one spectator, or when viewed close up or looking at only one individual. Typically, the effect is appreciated only when entire sections of the stadium are viewed. Large-scale display screens are often provided at the venues allowing the audience to see the net effect. There is a natural willingness to participate in such activities where the net effect can only be detected when a large group participates in a cooperative manner. This is termed herein as cooperative crowd behavior and the events at which CCB is displayed is called a cooperative crowd event.
Most of the spectators engaging in cooperative crowd behavior are likely to be carrying a smart phone or mobile computing device of some sort. These devices are ubiquitous today, and they often incorporate a color display. Smart phones commonly allow application programs to be downloaded to provide additional services and functionality. These MAHI applications are commonly directed to entertainment purposes. Combining this capability with the willingness of users to participate in cooperative crowd behavior would offer various opportunities heretofore not available.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure made herein is presented.